Book summaries

Where the Wild Things Are summary: the plot, Max and the Wild Things, the key themes and why Sendak's 1963 picture book...

A clear Walden summary covering what Thoreau did at Walden Pond, who appears in the book, its main themes and who will...

A clear guide to Stephen King's Under the Dome: the setup, the main characters, the themes of power and corruption, and a...

A clear Unbroken summary: Louis Zamperini's path from Olympic runner to Pacific castaway and POW, plus the key people, themes and why...

A clear guide to Ulysses by James Joyce. The setup, the main characters, the Homer parallels, the key themes and why the...

A clear guide to Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill: the 13 steps to riches, the people behind the book, its...

A clear guide to Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations: the division of labour, the invisible hand, its key themes and why...

A clear summary of Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar: the plot day by day, its themes, who it suits and why...

A clear guide to The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller: the plot, main characters, key themes and why it won the...

A clear guide to Tolkien's The Silmarillion: its five parts, the war over the Silmarils, the key characters, its themes and why...

A clear summary of Richard Dawkins's The Selfish Gene: the gene-centred view of evolution, altruism, the meme and why the book still...

A clear guide to The Running Man by Stephen King (as Richard Bachman): the plot, main characters, key themes and a separate...

Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera explained: plot, main characters and themes, with the ending kept under a separate spoiler heading.

A clear guide to Dumas's The Nutcracker: the story, main characters, themes of dreams and adventure, and how it became a famous...

A guide to The Long Walk by Stephen King (as Richard Bachman): the setup, the main walkers, the themes and a clearly...

A clear guide to The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini: the story, the main characters, the big themes and why it sold...

A clear guide to Homer's Iliad: the plot without spoilers, the main characters, its themes of war, glory and fate, and why...

A clear summary of Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree, covering the plot, the ending, the main characters and why readers still argue...

A clear summary of Stephen King's The Dead Zone: the plot, main characters and themes, with the ending kept under its own...

A clear guide to Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors: the setup, the two sets of twins, the themes of identity and family,...

A clear summary of The Canterbury Tales: the pilgrimage, the storytelling contest, the unfinished plan and why Chaucer's work still matters.

Mark Twain's river novel explained: the plot, Huck and Jim, the themes of freedom and race, and why critics still argue about...

A clear Song of Solomon summary covering Toni Morrison's plot, main characters and themes, with the ending kept under its own spoiler...

A clear guide to Lisa Jewell's None of This Is True: the setup, main characters, themes and who it suits, with the...